Embers Ad Infinitum

Aynor was stunned for a moment. “Ha, how is that possible? They’re the Superior Heartless I’ve met in Tarnan over the years.”

Without waiting for Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others to ask again, she curiously asked, “What exactly happened?”

Lady Boss, you look to be in your thirties and about to turn 40. There’s no need to mention the exact age, but why are you acting so gossipy? Jiang Baimian had learned many old-era terms from Jiang Xiaoyue’s information. However, she could also understand that gossip had nothing to do with age. The freer a person was, the more they loved gossip.

“Actually, it’s a series of matters that happened when a Dream Protector from the Clam Dragon Church contracted the Heartless disease…” Jiang Baimian recounted everything she could, only hiding a few key points.

In any case, the lady boss would definitely be able to find out about Jiang Xiaoyue if she was willing to spend the effort.

“Is that so…” Aynor—who was wearing a gorgeous dress—nodded. “It sounds like a ghost story, especially the last jump.”

“Yes.” Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong agreed.

If the Superior Heartless had chosen another method of suicide, they might not have felt this way. However, it was inevitable that they would make some connections when he jumped down from the building like Jiang Xiaoyue.

Aynor sat down again and smiled as she looked at the computer screen. “No matter what, you should be given half the credit for resolving this matter. I’ll tell Old Man Gu later and see how I can get you some substantial repayment.”

Long Yuehong had always been a little curious about the lady boss’s relationship with President Gu and couldn’t help but ask, “Madam Aynor, are you familiar with President Gu?”

“Of course, I’m familiar. How can I not be? We’ve been neighbors for so many years. Would you believe me if I said I’m not familiar with him?” Aynor chuckled and said, “That old man is smart. He doesn’t lose out on anything other than being a little timid. He’d rather let something pass than take the risk.”

After chatting for a while, the Old Task Force took the elevator and returned to the second floor.

Aynor held her chin and watched their backs disappear behind the elevator door before slowly retracting her gaze.

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

…

In a pink room filled with toy bears, lace dresses, and various electronic products.

Aynor sat cross-legged on a bed and stared at the vermilion door in confusion.

Behind her, which was also the bedhead, hung a large decorative painting. On it was a shimmering dark sea and a few indistinct islands.

Aynor jumped off the bed and walked to the door step by step, holding the brass handle.

She gently twisted and pulled, and the vermilion door opened.

Outside the door was a corridor covered in a thick, dark-yellow carpet. On both sides of the corridor were rooms.

No matter which end of the corridor one looked at, they couldn’t see the end.

The countless rooms had vermilion wooden doors and brass locks. Apart from the golden door numbers, everything else was identical.

Aynor stepped into the corridor and looked around. Her gaze swept past the irregular door numbers.

Her body trembled at some point in time.

At this moment, the corridor was extremely quiet. Nothing happened.

A few seconds later, Aynor suddenly turned around, walked back to the room, and slammed the wooden door.

On her vermilion door, golden numbers identified it: “506.”

…

In Room 221, Long Yuehong saw Jiang Baimian bring out the radio transceiver. “Team Leader, aren’t we going to report to the company after we finish the call with the Source Brain?” He didn’t hide his confusion.

Previously, Genava had already clearly indicated that he could arrange for the Old Task force to communicate with the source brain after dealing with the matter regarding the Superior Heartless and retrieving the smart bots and auxiliary robots that had fallen off the cliff.

It would only take two to three days.

As Jiang Baimian wrote the telegram, she chuckled and replied, “Although I don’t think the Clam Dragon Church is an organization that will silence people, we can’t be completely unguarded.”

“Yes, we can’t have blind trust.” Shang Jianyao regained his identity as an honorary member of the Vigilance Church.

“This…” Long Yuehong suddenly felt a little nervous.

As Jiang Baimian quickly wrote, she smiled and said, “For such matters, one can never be too careful. Therefore, we still have to report what we’ve experienced. After that, the company will at least know where to look if we do lose contact suddenly, right?”

After casually saying that, she was suddenly stunned. She subconsciously glanced at Shang Jianyao and realized that his expression was normal.

“Ahem…” Jiang Baimian cleared her throat. “Do you think there’s a problem with me writing this?”

She quickly read out the original telegram draft she had written up.

Bai Chen quietly listened and frowned. “Isn’t it too short?”

Jiang Baimian’s telegram only mentioned the Superior Heartless’s origins, encounters, and ending, as well as the illusion where Jiang Xiaoyue committed suicide by jumping off a building. It didn’t mention the Old Task Force’s inference, judgment, verification, and role.

Of course, the telegram included the numbers ‘five,’ ‘zero,’ and ‘three.’ However, there was no corresponding interpretation.

At the end of the telegram, Jiang Baimian also mentioned that she would be able to speak to the Source Brain in two to three days.

“How much content can a telegram contain? I’ll add it to the report when we return to the company based on the prevailing circumstances.” Jiang Baimian was already experienced in this regard.

The batch of computers they obtained from rescuing people hadn’t been mentioned when they sent a telegram to the company saying that they had already arrived in Tarnan.

“It can be made into a serialized form,” Shang Jianyao suggested.

“They don’t want that,” Jiang Baimian replied briskly.

‘They’ referred to the employees of the Security Department’s communications department.

Jiang Baimian quickly translated the original telegram and sent it out.

After the Old Task Force had breakfast and was about to catch up on sleep, Pangu Biology replied with a telegram: “…Well done… After speaking to the Source Brain, you can return to the company to rest.”

Long Yuehong actually felt a little happy to hear Jiang Baimian recite the last half of the sentence.

They had been on the surface for months, from late autumn to late winter. Coupled with the time needed for their return journey, they would definitely miss the most lively and joyous festival of Pangu Biology every year—New Year.

This made Long Yuehong miss home more than usual.

Just as Long Yuehong was about to say ‘finally,’ Shang Jianyao voiced his opinion. “That’s a little inauspicious.”

That’s true… Jiang Baimian suddenly felt that something unexpected might happen.

Bai Chen glanced at Long Yuehong without leaving a trace. She quickly retracted her gaze and gently slapped her face.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Baimian asked curiously.

“It’s a habit of wilderness nomads in our area,” Bai Chen explained simply. “If you say or listen to something inauspicious, you can slap yourself and pretend that it never happened.”

“Is that so?” Long Yuehong tried to imitate Bai Chen’s actions.

Jiang Baimian asked in confusion, “Why didn’t you do this before?”

This wasn’t the first time that ominous words had been said amongst the Old Task Force.

Bai Chen fell silent for two seconds. “I didn’t believe in auspiciousness in the past.”

“…” Long Yuehong was at a loss for words.

…

After sleeping until the evening, the Old Task Force got up and went out to search for food.

After walking through a quiet alley, they arrived at Riverfront Avenue.

The street lamps here weren’t spaced very far apart. They were all lit up, illuminating the street as if it were daytime.

Under the light, stalls were set up one after another. On them were many items that had been obtained from the Old World’s city ruins.

The people preaching, singing, dancing, and performing balancing acts gathered in one place, making Riverfront Avenue appear very lively.

This was just like what Shang Jianyao and the others had seen during the first night they arrived in Tarnan.

Recalling the empty silence of the past two days, Long Yuehong suddenly sighed with emotion. “I kind of understand the meaning of our previous work…”

“Not bad.” Jiang Baimian smiled and nodded.

Bai Chen’s eyes flickered as she thought of something.

Shang Jianyao turned his head to look at Long Yuehong and smiled. “So, should we save all of humanity together?”

Long Yuehong didn’t ignore it like he had the past few times. He hesitated for a moment.

He opened his mouth, but he was surprised to see Shang Jianyao walk to the other side and join the Glorious Scale group to watch the performance excitedly.

The Glorious Scale’s parishioners were walking around on stilts to showcase their balance.

In addition to this, they also did a human pyramid and made bicycles stand on a single wheel. In short, they depicted the teachings in various ways.

“Why does this look like an acrobatic team…” Jiang Baimian muttered softly.

Shang Jianyao didn’t watch for long because his stomach didn’t allow it.

The Old Task Force was out foraging for food. They walked all the way to Wild Pigeon Bar and pushed open the door.

As many of the regular customers were still in the hospital, the bar appeared very quiet. Only a few people were playing cards in a group.

Upon seeing the Qian Bai Team enter, the boss—Cai Yi—stood up and welcomed them at the door. His enthusiastic attitude and humble tone left Long Yuehong a little unaccustomed.

“Boss, there’s no need for that.” Jiang Baimian also shared the same feelings.

Cai Yi rubbed his palms and said, “It’s needed! It’s needed! If not for you, forget about whether this bar can continue. Who knows if I’d be standing here. What do you want to eat today? It’s on the house!”

“As long as it’s not canned food, biscuits, or energy bars,” Shang Jianyao requested.

Cai Yi laughed. “No problem. I’ll bring down the frozen meat at home and show you my skills. Oh right, President Gu said that everyone should gather some supplies and exchange for a pig in the next two days. We’ll set up a few tables at Nanke Convent later and slaughter the pig to make some dishes as a way to thank you.”

Long Yuehong and the others immediately salivated.

“Sounds great.” Jiang Baimian didn’t refuse and only said awkwardly, “Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to host it at Nanke Convent?”

Isn’t it inappropriate to hold a banquet, slaughter a pig, and cook in such a sacred and solemn religious place?

Cai Yi smiled. “Abbess Zhou agreed. She said: the sooner, the better.”

At this moment, the same sentence flashed across Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others’ minds: “Everything is but a dream. Why so serious?”